Capping machine



Mar. 13, 1923.

B. K. FORD CAPPING' MACHINE Filed Mar. 26, 1921 5 sheets-sheetl INVENTOR.

Miu. 13, '1923.

B. K. FORD CAPPING MACHINE Filed Mar'. 26, 1921 5 sheets-sheet Mar. 13, 1923. 1,448,026

B. K. FORD CAPPING MACHINE Filed Mar. 26, 1921 3 sheetsheet 5 INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BEN K. FORD, 0F OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.

GAPPING MACHINE.

Application liled March 26, 1921.

To all whom i may Gomera.'

Be it known that I, BEN K. FORD, a citizen of the United States, and residin at Oak Park` in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Capping Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for assembling container bodies and caps, and while the device is adapted to apply caps of sheet metal, it is especially useful in connection with caps of paper, which so often get out of shape and which often shrink to scant size so that it becomes very difficult to apply the caps to the containers.

This invention consists of a ring of inwardly inclined blades, the caps of the containers being placed over the ends of the blades and the bodies of the containers being moved relatively longitudinally within the ring of blades into the caps until the caps are pulled off the ends of the blades by the containers.

It further consists in a blade support made in two parts which may be swung apart to release the capped container.

It also consists in means for feeding the container bodies and caps to the point where they are to be united, one of the carrying devices consisting ot groups ot blades which, together with a stationary group, will in turn constitute complete rings, and means for moving the containers relative to the caps.

lt also consists in the details of construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing and particularly pointed out in the claims. While I have shown round rings of blades in the drawings, it will be understood that this invention is not limited thereto, as containers of any desired cross section may hc supplied with ca ps by devices embodying this invention.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation ot a power machine for applying caps to cylindrical containers. Fig. 2 is an end elevationithereof and Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is an elevation of a capping device adapted to be operated bv hand. the cap being in posi tion and the body being pushed up. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. f is another elevation showing the body pushed up into the cap. Fig. 7 is a section .on the line 7--7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a third elevation showing the cap on the container Serial No. 455,826.

I have shown the simplest embodiment of my invention in Figs. 4 to 9 inclusive. Two plates 1 and 2 are provided with openings somewhat larger than the outer diameter of the container which is to be capped. A series of thin narrow blades are formed with feet 4C which are gripped between the plates when pressed together by the bolts 5. These blades normally slope toward each other as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5 and while they are preferably of spring steel, they may even be of tough paper to do the work.

When it is desired to cap a container 6, the cap 7 is placed on the ends of the blades 3, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, and the body 6 is pushed up, as indicated in Figs. 6 and 7, the thin blades preventing the container touching the flange 8 of the cap while moving up into the cap. This is true even when the internal diameter of a paper cap is less than the external diameter of the body and the forcing of the body up into the cap tem- The simple device thus far described func`` tions very satisfactorily where but few containers are. yto be capped. Where a large number of containers are to be taken care of, the power driven machine shown in Figs. 1. 2 and 3 may be employed.

A base 10` carries the frames 11 and 12 in which are mounted a countershaft 13. rotated in any desired manner. a main shaft 14 which makes one rotation for each cap applied, and a carrier shaft l5 which rotates intermittently. On the countershaft 13 is secured a pinion 16 which meshes with the gear 17 attached to the main shaft 14. on which main shaft are the cams 19, 20 and 21. A stud shaft 23 extends from the frame 11 and rotatable together thereon are the gear 18` and the mutilated disk 25 of a Geneva movement. On the carrier shaft 15 is a disk 26 which has the crossed grooves` ein u pin 28 isi'in 'tlie'jgrooret29K, "rtli `sha tt l?) is prevented from"turning. The end ot this rest is shown in Fig. 2. At this point the pin ill) enters a groove* 27' and ,causes the disk 215 and shaft l5 to turn one fourth roreceive a' entiihieiA 37 fr'oinlthe chute 38. the

tation, At the end ot' this nioite'innt the forward end 24 of the groove 29 reaches the next pin 2R ('thzit :it the rightin (Fig. 2) nd thus ugain prevents this disk l'roni turning, nhieh rest eontiliueslfor three fourths of the rotationv ot" the disk Q5. l The iidi'iintiige 2' guards -39 sindl40fpievenftlhflf"the cup `and ilbodvfi'oni leiinglthetboelietsin the mi@` Any proper rliins may be used to VAtiers. siiiilily `the eps fand boiliesgto 'the ea rriers ndyfor'guiding themiiintil they" ieaehlhe etlbplng'fdeyiiees A series of l Slshblivlnin Figs. 4 to 9.5ii're ttached to the gezi't'riei* 35 adje'ent; eticlhfseinileircular boeket 43 therein. A shuft44 e'xtendiiigbetween the trames ll and '12"eerriesigliide arms 45 tion :this lleiieiwlpii"v itudinally the shaft "44 :ind :i"spri'nglL holds the roller 50 on '20. The lever has `ztseini-circular upper end '52 vto which ire;ttiiehedwhnotherseries of 's'liginghldes'vr, which forni e `complete set ot' these plates'iiiithefieh group of lilzides 42 utljtieent' each pocket 43.

The Cani 20 isso 'ositioned iind formed rthat` ythev roller 50 Wil riin on` the outer portilori'QOa duringr neurlynll the time theshaft vl5 is aty liest, *but theiro'llei O'reaches the '52 otnthe lever strings"drowny so' tlititmthe Mbldesr S-AVthereon'" will botnpllet'lthe ring insiemi termi t. en f i: esi-er1 'im elieient itlinthiswri'ihgofi hliide's in awtornied Vof two parts movable toward und with :i`eirc-iliait Ipleite vStien its inner endl to engage"the' eapP end a Coller 57' isttiehed to this rod endproilded'iwitli a'pin'V 58'extending into a notehvin the ii'jller' end of the Ilei-er 60. This lereiyis rilclunted :t

-belngfheld against it by the spring (l5. tlt'ation of these ports is tinied to inove 4the device sh'own in Figs. 4 to 9. 34Nreeedes Vbefore the rodr 54 Completes its ystroke so that the Cap eannot be injured and fides 53 .ire but ofljthe Y' fhln n "formed 'el The the Pup inwardly onto the ends ot' the plates 42 und 53 and hold it there until these bludes ure sprung out by the container body. The rod 34V is slidfible in the upper end ot the erin 45 and in the trame ll.

A second rod 54 is slidiible in the l'rzune 12 in the arm 46, and has a. disk GT on its inner end. A Collar 68 on this rod carries :i ilin G9 that extends into a notch in the upfier end of the lever 72, pivoted ut 7l on the post 70. The conical roller 73 on this f lever engagesl the "earn 2l whereby the rod 54is`ino`ved inwardly to push the container body 37 entirelyl into the Cap 7 until the c2115 is ysl'ipedbff:theends of the blades, the :retient of the blades being the same as in The rod the tbdi'reeedes before the lever 46 rises lthrl the carrier begins to turn.

The capped container is carried around by thefvearriers 35 iend 36, being held in position hv "the guide strep 74 until the chute 75 directs they container out of the machine.

The machine constructed for containers three inches in diameter can cap one hundred i n 'i containers per minute.

` The rod 54 muy be slid along in the collar 68 when the set screw T5 is released to accommodate the machine 'L li i 1 for containers of different lengths, the curthe l'oiier `end of the lever against the cmu rsheit'ts`it`ertic.til when it is desired to cup Filled Containers.

The'details of the severul ports muy ull he Changed by those skilled in the nrt `without depfirting from the spirit o'l my invention ns set forth in the following rluinis.

1.111 :i Cappingr machine, :l support forined ot n plurality ot purts movable toiwrd :ind l'roni ezieh other` und blades dtituehefd tox each parl of the support und `:idnpted when the parts of the support ire united to receive a vontainer can on their free'ends, said Support haring an openingr to permit a Container bod)Y to he hiored longitudinally into the can.

2. ln a trapping machine. n support.

fronierieh other. blades attached to euch pnrt. of the support and having their free endsY inclined toward eerh other when the ltwo inerte 'of the support nre united. ineens to plage d container cap on said tree ends. siiidsupport havingT an opening. and means to move :L container bodyv longitudinally iu seid openingr into said cap.

" eeppi-r7igl mephine. a support twdparts movable toward and from each other, blades attached to each part of the support and having their free ends inclined toward each other when the two parts of the support are united, means to place a container cap on said free ends, said support having an opening, means to move a container body longitudinally in said opening into said cap, and means to separate the two parts of the blade support to release the container.

4. In a capping machine, an intermittently rotating disk having semi-circular pockets in its periphery, a lever having a semi-circular pocket, means to swing the lever so its pocket will register with the pockets in the disk as the disk is rotated, a series of spring blades attached to the disk at the edge of each pocket in the disk and lever and inclining toward each other, means to conduct container bodies to the pockets in the disk, means to place caps over the ends of said blades, and means to push the container in the registering pockets into the cap.

5. In a capping machine, an intermittently rotating disk having semi-circular pockets in its periphery, a lever having a semi-circular pocket, means to swing the lever to its pocket will register with the pockets in the disk as the disk is rotated, a series of spring blades attached to the disk at the edge of each pocket in the disk and lever and inclining toward each other, means to conduct container bodies to the pockets in the disk, means to place caps over the ends of said blades, and means to push the container in the registering pockets into the cap, comprising a longitudinally slidable rod with a disk at its inner end, a lever and a cam to actuate the last named lever.

ln a capping machine, a carrier shaft and means to rotate the shaft step by step, three disks secured on said shaft and provided with alined pockets, a lever mounted to swing in the plane of the middle disk and formed with a pocket adapted to register with the pockets of the middle disk as it rotates, blades attached to said lever and the middle disk around the pockets therein, means to move the caps out of said pockets of one of the end disks onto the ends of the blades, means to supply container bodies to the pockets of the middle and the other end disks, and means to push said bodies into the caps on the blades and the cap ofi' the blades.

In a capping machine, a carrier shaft and means to rotate the shaft step by step, three disks secured on said shaft and provided With alined pockets, a lever mounted to swing in the plane of the middle disk and formed with a pocket adapted to register with the pockets of the middle disk, blades attached to said lever and the middle disk as it rotates around the pockets therein, means to move the caps out ot' said pockets of one of the end disks onto the ends of the blades, means to supply oontainer bodies to the pockets of the middle and the other end disks, means to push said bodies into the caps on the blades and the cap olf the blades, and means to swing the lever to carry the blades thereon out of engagement with the container in its pocket to permit the discharge of the capped container and the placing of another container.

8. In a capping machine, a support comprising two parts movable to register with each other, blades attached to said parts to form substantially a frustum of a cone when assembled and adapted to extend into a. container cap, means to guide a container body and cap to said blades, means to move the body into the cap, and means to separate the two parts of the support to release the body.

BEN K. FORD. 

